Rece Davis hypes up Oregon-USC Big Ten title eliminator game with surprising prediction originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Two days sit between a critical matchup between the Oregon Ducks and USC Trojans.
Advertisement
The stakes entering Saturday’s game couldn’t be any bigger: the winner remains alive for the Big Ten title game, while the loser will have to figure out which bowl game (or last Playoff spot) they may get.
Although ESPN’s Rece Davis won’t be on the call for Saturday’s game, as CBS will be on assignment for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff from Eugene, Davis offered his thoughts about how he sees the game playing out.
“I’m so tempted, so tempted to pick SC,” Davis said on a recent edition of the “College GameDay Podcast. “I think Oregon overall is better, probably more disruptors on defense, more likely to make a game-changing play.”
Davis went as far as to say the game is only going to play out one of two ways, which are at entirely opposite ends of the spectrum.
Advertisement
“I feel like this game’s going to go one of two ways: either SC has the ball and a chance to win with a final drive, or Oregon’s going to stomp them,” Davis said.
The Ducks and Trojans have combined for seven straight wins, but something has to give. The Ducks enter the game as the defending conference champion, while the Trojans are finally living up to expectations under coach Lincoln Riley after a few inconsistent seasons.
Nonetheless, Big Ten fans will be glued to their TV screens, as it’s the only game in Week 13’s slate with significant conference title and postseason implications among the broader league schedule.
Regardless of who comes out on top, Davis will more than likely have something to say about it.
It’s only a matter of what and when, rather than if.
We’ll find out this weekend.
